Seize the day, Mr. President

I arrived the night before you took your oath of office. The streets looked like Manhattan at rush hour.

Workers were installing seating around the Capitol Building where you would become the country's first president of African descent.

The world was changing, and we were all witness to it.

Everything I touched vibrated with excitement.

You couldn't get a seat at a bar or restaurant. There wasn't a corner without a vendor hawking souvenirs. And you couldn't find a single person who wanted to talk about anything but you.

It was a moment of hope.

You energized a group of Americans who had become disenfranchised — people who stopped believing the country was good, was fair, was just.

But things didn't work out exactly as you expected.

People who wanted change got unemployment instead of opportunities. You didn't close Guantanamo Bay like you promised. And that transparent government you pledged turned out to be filled with the lobbyists you so outwardly rejected.

The road's been a little bumpy.

You couldn't have prevented a collapse in the European economy. You didn't expect our government to sell 2,000 assault weapons to drug dealers. As a career politician, you didn't understand free markets, making the recession deeper than it might have been.

And you couldn't have predicted the carnage of so many at the hands of so few.

But here we are again. You can still fulfill that hope.

Your ascendancy to the presidency is a remarkable moment in our history. And though dimmed, that energy is still at your fingertips.

Bring consensus, like you did with the electorate, so our lawmakers can be productive.

Don't be afraid to compromise. Your strength doesn't come from power; it comes from wisdom.

Lead by setting an example for others. You don't have to have your way all the time. Sometimes losing is winning.

Engage your adversaries, and they may become your allies.

Reach out to Ahmadinejad. As the saying goes: "Keep your friends close, your enemies closer." Same with Kim Jong-un. You might not like him, but he rules over 25 million suffering souls who fall on the conscience of the world.

Please stop trying to stimulate the economy. You can't, even as president. In this case, less is more.

Your inauguration four years ago opened a door, not just for you, but for your country.